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| MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: Clancy 08:29 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| Walked up to the box office about 10 minutes before curtain and bought a great seat. There were a handful of empty orchestra seats but otherwise full. No food or drinks sold (Yippee!). Ushers were on the prowl for surreptitious phone filming. Watching so many pros work their magic makes for a remarkable evening. Costumes are over the top. Jefferson Mays is nearly unrecognizable. The affection between Shuler Hensley and Hugh Jackman during 'Sadder but Wiser Girl' can't be faked. And you would never guess this is Marie Mullen's first Broadway musical. Small Spoiler: It isn't until act two that Sutton Foster dances. And during 'Shipoopi' a lock of hair comes undone from her wig and it's an appropriate symbol of Marian becoming a bit more undone herself. And yes, I confirmed this is a planned wardrobe malfunction. |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: kidmanboy 11:11 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Clancy 08:29 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| Agree - I thought it was a complete joy to watch. I can't imagine this rather dated text being presented more enjoyably. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: dsikula 02:31 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Clancy 08:29 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| I, too, was there Tuesday night, and thought it was dreadful. The cast is game and mostly doing their best, but it felt like they'd slashed the book to the bare minimum just to give the numbers some kind of context, then filled those numbers with unnecessary dancing that makes no sense. There's no build; just everyone rushing like they had to get out of the building by 10:00. I felt no chemistry between Harold and Marian (I can't speak to whatever chemistry Jackman and Foster may have), since she just seems angry until the end of Act One, then warms with no real preparation. The rest of the cast -- Mays and Mullin excepted -- were ciphers, as (surprisingly to me) even Hensley and Houdyshell did nothing, though they had little to work with (though the former was not helped by the new lyrics for "Shipoopi)." Even the new orchestrations seemed thin. Not surprisingly, though, the audience went bananas. I guess if you go in expecting Hugh Jackman in "The Music Man," this is what you will probably want and get. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "Those who like this sort of thing will find this is the sort of thing they like." |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Last Edit: Roman 08:34 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| Posted by: Roman 08:31 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - dsikula 02:31 am EST 01/20/22 | |
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| I have to agree. The whole thing felt completely uninspired. It’s a favorite of mine and I’ve never been disappointed in or bored by a production— until now. There’s nothing new or even exciting here. Just Hugh Jackman. Playing Hugh Jackman. That’s not quite enough. And the added and extended dance numbers add nothing to the story and grow tiresome midway through the second act. How they could screw this up is beyond me. It just feels like a missed opportunity. What could have been gumbo or a robust minestrone is cream of potato. |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 09:53 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 09:52 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Roman 08:31 am EST 01/20/22 | |
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| If there's one consistent complaint -- and I've followed reports since the first preview -- it's this new focus on extended dance sequences, apparently with dance breaks added or heightened. It's not clear why they don't work, or rather, why they weigh the evening improperly; does it really feel as if the book material is shortchanged? Do the dances lack specificity? Or does it feel as if a town that doesn't have reason to physicalize emotion suddenly expresses itself via by moving to music? I can't figure out if it's the choreography or not encouraging the suspension of disbelief. In a preponderance of American musicals -- other than in dream ballets or the like -- dance is organic to the moment, tied to a circumstance that could be illustrated with dance. Music Man's tempi certainly suggest dance can work. But is it too little attention to the book scenes that's causing this imbalance? Can anyone elaborate? It's the first such critique I've read of any show. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: dsikula 02:28 am EST 01/21/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Delvino 09:52 am EST 01/20/22 | |
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| I found the book shortchanged in that, other than Harold and Marian, no one's characters go beyond a quick sketch (not that they're deeply developed in the first place ...), but you'd really never know about the whole Tommy/Zaneeta thing without paying close attention and the Marcellus/Harold relation is pretty much "Greg!" "Marcellus! You're here?" "There's a pool table!" and we're into "Trouble." I thought the most "egregious" of the dance sequences were "Trouble," "Seventy-Six Trombones," and "Marian the Librarian," where the River Citizenians are almost immediately dancing in unison, with no needing to be persuaded by Harold. I wouldn't have minded them so much had there been some storytelling or development, but they're big production numbers from the get-go, unlike Onna White's lovely character-based work in the movie (and, I assume, in the original). |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: Ann 09:54 am EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Delvino 09:52 am EST 01/20/22 | |
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| I'm also wondering if the running time is much longer with this revival. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: dsikula 02:19 am EST 01/21/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Ann 09:54 am EST 01/20/22 | |
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| It wasn't noticeably, in that the extensions in the dance sequences were made up for by the cuts in the book. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Last Edit: Thom915 10:58 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| Posted by: Thom915 10:52 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Clancy 08:29 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| Ushers do prowl for surreptious filming and especially during shows like Music Man but I noted last week they are also looking to see that no one has removed or is improperly wearing their mask. So glad you enjoyed the show. I look forward to seeing it in March. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: Amiens 10:09 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Clancy 08:29 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| Clancy, would you mind telling us how much you paid for the ticket? Thanks in advance. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That | |
| Posted by: Clancy 11:36 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Amiens 10:09 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| $279. Fourteenth row orchestra on the aisle. Which was priced at $799 before Omicron. | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN - going tonight - ticket cost | |
| Posted by: mdcoz 10:25 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN Last Night — It's Really All That - Amiens 10:09 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| I purchased outstanding seats for tonights performance last night for $279 a ticket. This seems to be their standard (non-premium) top ticket price. There are quite a few tickets available. Will report back.... | |
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| re: MUSIC MAN - going tonight - ticket cost | |
| Posted by: jaymac 10:35 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN - going tonight - ticket cost - mdcoz 10:25 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| I had tickets from 2019 two are accessible seating and one front row ticket. When I got to the theater, box office upgraded us to 5th row center seats together. Thought that was amazing. We didn't even ask for it. |
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| Will Call? | |
| Posted by: Kaoru 10:55 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: re: MUSIC MAN - going tonight - ticket cost - jaymac 10:35 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| Were your original tickets set for Will Call? Currently all TMM tickets are etickets that are sent via email two weeks before the show, so I'm wondering why you went to the BO. | |
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| re: Will Call? | |
| Posted by: jaymac 11:33 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: Will Call? - Kaoru 10:55 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| They never sent me the e-tickets. I had the original printed tickets from 2019. Telecharge told me to go to box office. | |
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| re: Will Call? | |
| Posted by: Clancy 11:40 am EST 01/19/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Will Call? - jaymac 11:33 am EST 01/19/22 | |
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| Also had paper tickets from 2019. Performance rescheduled to this February. Telecharge said the same physical tickets would still work. But since I'll have my mom and dad in tow for the performance next month didn't want to have to worry about it. The Winter Garden box office reprinted the tickets. For us, we kept the same seats. | |
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